Small Business Success Stories

Tricycle Studios, one of Tampa Bay’s first digital marketing agencies, began in the fall of 1996 when founders, Tona Bell and Randy Rosenthal, combined their expertise in advertising and video production with business assistance from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of […]

Brody Welte came to Florida looking for the ideal location to start a new stand up paddling business. He found that location in St. Petersburg and brings a little adventure into everyone’s lives as the business continues to grow, organize events across the county and […]

Little People Big Learning Center, LLC was already a big idea in the mind of Belinda Clarke when she attended the Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) REAL Road to Business Success in 2009. Her determination mixed with assistance from the SBDC & a $150,000 loan […]

By leveraging the expertise of several Certified Business Analysts at the Tampa SBDC office, Reed doubled his customer base, implemented targeted operational controls and secured a $25,000 SBA guaranteed loan. Find out how…

The desire to own a small business runs in Beatriz Cardona’s veins. Originally from Venezuela, she comes from a family of entrepreneurs and followed that passion by earning a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship and business management. Beatriz and her husband, Roberto, are now living their dreams […]

Tricia Ricke, VP and COO of Federal Contracts Corp. (FCC) knows all too well about the red tape hysteria that comes with the prickly process of selling heavy machinery to government organizations. That’s why she turned to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the […]

The Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America’s SBDCs and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, State of Florida, and other private and public partners, with the University of West Florida serving as the network's lead host institution. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for limited English proficient individuals.